GLASTONBURY, CONNECTICUT · FAMILY LAW + FAMILY-VIOLENCE DEFENSE
A divorce is contested when the spouses do not agree on something that has to be decided — how property is divided, whether alimony is paid, or the arrangements for children. Most contested cases settle before trial. They are contested for a period, not forever.
A complaint is served and a return date is set.
From the moment of signing for the filing spouse and service for the other, court orders restrict transferring property, taking on unreasonable debt, changing insurance, and removing a child from Connecticut.
Under C.G.S. §46b-83, the court can order temporary support, temporary custody, and exclusive use of the family home while the case is pending. For many families this is the most urgent part of the case, and it happens early.
Both spouses file sworn financial affidavits. Where one spouse controls the information, formal discovery follows — document requests, interrogatories, depositions, and subpoenas where necessary.
Business valuations, real estate appraisals, pension valuations, or a custody evaluation.
Most cases settle once both sides can see the same financial picture.
A contested trial cannot begin until at least 90 days after the return date.
Two things, mostly. Disputes requiring outside professionals, and discovery fights over documents that were going to be produced eventually anyway.
A case where both sides exchange information and negotiate costs a fraction of one that is litigated to judgment. The largest variable is not the lawyers — it is how much of the case is genuinely in dispute.
Even a negotiated resolution is reviewed by the court under C.G.S. §46b-66, which incorporates an agreement only on finding it fair and equitable.
The moment a Connecticut divorce is filed and served, court orders bind both spouses. What Practice Book §25-5 restricts, and what violating it costs.
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Connecticut is a no-fault state, but fault grounds remain in the statute — and conduct can still affect the financial outcome.
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Connecticut divorce attorney Daniel M. Morton explains property division, alimony, and the process in the Hartford Judicial District. Glastonbury office.
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Every case starts with a conversation about what you’re facing and what it would take to handle it.
